Vietnam War politics Archives - R. Lawson Author

America’s Longest War Over – Really?

R Lawson — Tue, 28 Sep 2021 21:15:17 +0000

This post was originally written in early September 2021, but I am now just getting a chance to post it. Newspapers’ headlines triumph fully paraded that announcement in large, bold letters last week at the top of the front page. However, our enemy, radical Islamic terrorism, has a vote in that boastful declaration. The war […]

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The Vietnam War Revisited – Part XXVII – The Paris Treaty

R Lawson — Mon, 19 Oct 2020 00:53:31 +0000

The devastating Christmas bombing succeeded in bringing North Vietnam to the negotiating table for a serious discussion this time, no more games. The relentless ‘Dogs of War” bombardment convinced Hanoi to settle. Nixon’s last-ditch gambit focused their attention on coming to terms. He took the risk of collective condemnation at home and abroad for the […]

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The Vietnam War Revisited- Part XX – “Vietnamization”

R Lawson — Sun, 05 Apr 2020 21:37:01 +0000

“Vietnamization” – That was the title of Nixon’s nationally televised address delivered in hopes of settling the crescendo of public discord over Vietnam; a war dividing the country angrily into “Hawks” and “Doves.” That speech required maneuvering through a political minefield, a history of failed negotiations, pervading media hostility and anti-war bias, plus fake news. […]

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The Vietnam War Revisited- Part XVIII – More of the Same?

R Lawson — Tue, 28 Jan 2020 18:00:00 +0000

They don’t play beanball in Washington, D.C. Politics is a blood sport. LBJ was a political animal who recognized reality- Vietnam was a dead end for him, the war dividing the Nation, losing popular support, and threatening the demise of the Democratic party. Losing a reelection in November 1968 would be the ultimate humiliation. So, […]

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The Vietnam War Revisited- Part XIV – It Starts Hitting the Fan

R Lawson — Mon, 07 Oct 2019 20:54:55 +0000

The decisions made by the LBJ administration in 1964 discussed in my last blog cast the die. Much like Julius Caesar in 49 BC, LBJ crossed his Rubicon metaphorically. Once crossing the Mekong River and Delta, there was no going back. Operation Rolling Thunder was an irrevocable act that failed for the reasons chronicled in […]

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The Vietnam War Revisited- Part XII – Why Revisit?

R Lawson — Thu, 05 Sep 2019 17:00:47 +0000

A close friend, a Vietnam combat veteran, asked me why I was taking the time to “revisit” such a controversial war, one that divided our nation politically? Why spend time writing blogs about it? Why not just move on? Get it behind us? That reminded me of Richard M. Nixon’s famous quote. One thing he […]

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The Vietnam War Revisited- Part VIII – Backing a Losing Horse?

R Lawson — Sun, 21 Jul 2019 22:09:54 +0000

In my last blog I discussed JFK’s decision to become involved militarily in South Vietnam in 1961. With attribution to noted historian, Barbara Tuchman and my historical narrative, RECALL, I pointed out the two traps his administration fell into- Quests to defeat the Soviet proclamation and support for “wars of liberation” in Algeria, Cuba, and […]

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The Vietnam War Revisited- Part VII – A War of Attrition

R Lawson — Wed, 10 Jul 2019 22:16:58 +0000

If you read my prior blogs addressing this subject you will understand where I’m going with my discussion of Barbara Tuchman’s analysis of the Vietnam War. My last blog in the series outlined the background leading up to the Vietnam War. This blog picks up as Kennedy takes office. Kennedy’s mindset was moving closer to […]

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The Vietnam War Revisited – Part V – What-Ifs

R Lawson — Tue, 25 Jun 2019 01:05:53 +0000

Stalin died in March of 1953 opening a path to international settlement of war in Indochina at the Geneva conference in 1954. The new Russian premier, Malenkov, proposed “peaceful coexistence,” lessening Cold War tensions temporarily. But the Korean armistice freed Chinese troops to aid the Viet Minh in Vietnam, raising another serious concern to Eisenhower […]

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Other Vietnam Veterans’ Viewpoints – Terry Garlock

R Lawson — Wed, 27 Feb 2019 00:59:29 +0000

I get Vietnam War articles emailed to me from veteran pals from time to time. For a long while we rarely discussed that contentious war outside of family, friends, and fellow vets. Many vets of that era over fifty years ago still harbor resentment for the disrespect they received upon returning home. And many know […]

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